Lesson 4 Customer Service

Objectives In this lesson, you will: Identify the need for customer service in healthcare List the steps to good customer service Demonstrate how to respond to customer complaints Define and understand service recovery

Customer Service Patient experience and quality customer service is increasingly important in healthcare. The healthcare market is competitive, and your patients are your customers. Patients have choices as to what providers and facilities they use. Ask students to raise their hands if they have ever felt the need to switch doctors’ offices or remember a family member or friend talk about switching doctors’ offices.

Customer Service Healthcare workers are responsible for the satisfaction of their patients. If a patient’s expectations are not met, they are likely to seek another provider for care. Did your patient have to wait long to be seen? Were all instructions to the patient clear? Were they greeted in a friendly manner? Was everyone compassionate and courteous? Ask students to raise their hands if they can recall an experience they or a family member have had with the healthcare system that they would classify as a negative experience. Ask students to think about how this experience made them feel. You may or may not ask students to share their experiences. Patients will take their entire experience into account when evaluating their healthcare experience.

of the population suffers from “white coat syndrome.” 20% of the population suffers from “white coat syndrome.” White coat syndrome - the patient’s feeling of anxiety in a medical environment is abnormally high Ask students to raise their hands if they know anyone who has white coat syndrome. What percentage of students raised their hands? If these people do seek healthcare… How do they ultimately feel about their experience? How do you feel when you receive healthcare? Does a patient’s potential level of comfort associated with healthcare create a greater need for respectful and empathetic treatment for all patients?

Tips for Good Customer Service What can you do to help make sure that your patients have a good experience? Smile when it is appropriate. 2. Always speak warmly and with compassion. 3. Speak professionally and use the patient’s name. 4. NEVER tell your patients your personal information or problems. 5. Keep your focus on the needs of the patient.

70% Conflicts and Complaints Despite our best efforts, conflicts and complaints happen. 70% of patients who make a complaint will return if the complaint is handled and resolved properly. Ask students to think back to a time that they were a customer and had a conflict with a company or establishment. (This could be healthcare, or it could be retail, food service, utilities, etc.) Ask them to think about how it was resolved, and if they returned. You may want to have students share their experiences. How are these experiences similar to experiences in healthcare?

What should you do if a patient complains to you? Don’t stand over the patient. Ask clarifying questions wherever possible. Try and understand the experience from the patient’s point of view, and refrain from being defensive. Explain that you will make every attempt to solve the problem. Apologize.

Service Recovery When a customer is dissatisfied, healthcare professionals need to take responsive action to “recover” the customer. This is often referred to as service recovery. Many facilities have a “service recovery log” which allows them to look for trends in customer dissatisfaction to continually improve their customer service.

4 Steps to Service Recovery 1. Apologize - As easy as it seems, a simple “I’m sorry” is an important step in moving a situation away from negative and toward positive. 2. Acknowledge the patient’s feelings - Service recovery begins when we see that a patient’s expectations are not being met. After apologizing, it is vital that the problem and the patient’s feelings are acknowledged right away. 3. Offer alternatives - Instead of telling a patient what they can’t have, focus on what options are possible. 4. Make amends - Making amends is a way of righting a wrong. It can be a simple sincere apology or more complex, such as calling an insurance provider and sending a follow-up letter. Sometimes, it may include a small gift or token of appreciation.

Summary In this lesson, you: Identified the need for customer service in healthcare Listed the steps to good customer service Demonstrated how to respond to customer complaints Defined and understood service recovery Ask students to tell you one thing they learned in this lesson.